Behind the Scenes at MSNBC's NOW with Alex Wagner at Her Women and Politics Special!

I've done some cool things here at Glamour, but yesterday is definitely in the top five. Just before noon, I popped a few blocks north to the NBC News studios in Rockefeller Center and sat in on a taping of* NOW with Alex Wagner*. Her fantastic crew invited me on set to not only watch the bombshell Wagner in action, but because the entire episode was devoted to women and politics. Win!

If you're not familiar with Wagner and her show, one thing you must know is what makes her different: she's a magnetic personality who's a great host and conversationalist, and is fantastic at breaking down the facts. Wagner is only 32, and the executive producer behind her show, Dana Haller, is only 29 (she's one of the youngest in the biz), so the youthful energy in the broadcast comes through. But you don't have to take my word for it; just watch Wagner introduce her first panel of guests, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sally Quinn, Joan Walsh, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX):

Throughout the hour, Wagner and her guests, who included Gabrielle Union, Lilly Ledbetter, and Massachusetts Senatorial candidate Elizabeth Warren via satellite, discussed a whole range of issues devoted entirely to women's issues in the political sphere. Why aren't more women running for office? (There are 298 going for seats this year--it's a new record.) Why are men getting the jobs women lost in the recession? Why aren't we getting the support we need for equal pay measures? Why are women filing for bankruptcy more than men? And yes, they talked about Akingate: "If we had 51 percent of women in congress, we would not be debating whether something is a legitimate rape," Senator Gillibrand said. I'll toast to that.

Sitting in the studio watching such a dynamic panel of brilliant, accomplished women--led by such a dynamic, brilliant, accomplished woman--was an experience that's hard to sum up. We have a tough, uphill battle to fight for representation come November and beyond, but looking at the kind of strength in that room and the voices upholding the messages fuels me with a massive sense of empowerment. I wish I could have taken all of you in there with me--but since I couldn't, watch the clips of the show so you can be informed (and ignited!) about the issues affecting you.

After the show, I sat down with Wagner and EP Haller (that's the three of us above) to talk about the show. I was fired up, and wanted to know their best advice for getting ahead, especially in fields like media and politics that are so historically competitive and male-dominated.

"Women are their own worst enemies," Wagner said. "Their internal narrative often supersedes what they actually want. Just be good to each other."

Needless to say, I had an amazing day! Did you catch Alex Wagner's NOW for Women special? What do you think is the biggest issue for women and politics right now?